Pats Lost the Game But Gained a Quarterback

[Saban]

I was very impressed tonight with the Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones. Not saying here that he is the second coming of Tom Brady, but Jones looked pretty good to me. Looking forward to see how he does going forward.

[Brian wolf]

Concur ...

Belichick should have went for it on 4th down ... Jones was slicing them up ... Brown nearly blew it for Tompa

[RichardBak]

19 straight completions at one point, and with a wet ball. Not bad. Think they said that tied one of Brady's records.

[RRMarshall]

I've seen all four of his games as a pro and this was by far Jones' best performance. I think the rain helped to slow down the Tampa Bay pass rush which helped what has been at least so far a very subpar New England offensive line. I also thought Bill should have gone for it on fourth down as a chance for a successful FG in those conditions were not optimal. Plus there still would have been enough time left for Brady to bring his team downfield even if the kick was good. I think the rain played a big factor in keeping the scoring down, as Tampa Bay had put up over 30 points in seven of their last eight games. Not a classic for sure, but a very enjoyable game to watch.

[sheajets]

I was hoping he wouldn't drop to NE. Jones will be an outstanding QB and a perfect fit for their system

[Brian wolf]

Jones is a first round draft pick and is expected to play well but McDaniels needs to help him with more balance and running plays. Maybe they felt is was better to only pass last night but now that the team is 1-3, which could easily be 3-1, time to emphasize the run more and more rest for the defense. They can still make the playoffs with a 10-7 record.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

Heard two Mac Jones stats about his 19 straight completions. The first is that he's the first rookie in 30 years to accomplish that feat. NFL.com went into a bit more detail about that:

"At one point on an efficient night, Jones completed 19 straight passes, the most in a single game by a rookie in the last 30 seasons (since 1991, when official completions data begins). "

The second was Saturday Down South stating that he tied Brady's team record for most consecutive completions since 1978. Like many of you would do in that situation, I immediately dug up Steve Grogan's 1978 game-by-game stats. (laughs) Turns out he didn't have 19 total completions in a single game. The most he had in one game were 17 completions. Nobody else on the Patriots roster had more than 15 completions for the entire season. The article notes that 1978 was when the 16-game schedule started, so perhaps there is some sort of dividing line there.


For the total geeks out there:

NFL.com link: https://www.nfl.com/news/patriots-qb-ma ... ral-victor

Saturday Down South link: https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/alaba ... -30-years/

[Brian wolf]

I feel if the Patriots can win just three more games, they will make the playoffs and Jones will be ROTY. The Titans will be a big test in his development with their improved pass rush and defense ...

[JameisLoseston]

The Pats are scary right now, because they're the only team with any consistency. Bill might be flipping the script in the narrative of him against Brady, although TB isn't really regressing.

[Brian wolf]

Can anyone name the last QB that started and played a whole game and won with three or less pass attempts ?